Final question about prayer in school?

Question

OK here is the story to my questions and in the immortal words of the WSIDR - What should I do?

A small group of young Muslim men got together at lunch, faced Mecca and prayed. Someone complained (rumor has it the person was agnostic) and they were told they couldn't pray on school ground - it's a closed campus.
The parents of these young men came in to fight the desision by the school. They sited the Christians being able to pray at the lunch table (I would too)
Apparently the Christians had been doing this for a few years, and the Muslims thought it was a good idea and got together.
The Christians were told they had to stop.

One of those children are mine. Any advise.

I think both groups should be able to pray.
Thanks all a for you advise.

Answer 1

The people in your story who are trying to ban one or more students from praying on their own time are violating people's constitutional rights. It does not matter at all what religions people belong to or what they are praying for. They have a right- guaranteed under our constitution- to pray if they want. Your local ACLU office should be able to advise you about what to do next.

Answer 2

No one can stop anyone from praying - especially when someone is doing it quiety. Have we come so far in our American society that we are taking hope away from our children by telling them that they can't pray at all - that is a bunch of foolishness. As a group, the allowance to pray is probably not okay. But as individuals, no one can tell you to stop praying. That are Christian organizations that will go to court for you on this issue and tell you that your child has the right to pray anywhere and everywhere. In America, we teach our kids about all the different faiths of the world but we are taking Christianity out and replacing with Evolution, Muslim faith, Buddhism, Hinduism, tribal religions and so forth. That boggles my mind. If America will allow other religions than they should allow Christianity and prayer to be exercised. For some odd reason, people don't like being told what is right and wrong from the Bible. Tell your son it is okay to pray and if the schools have a problem with it then I would recommend that they get in touch with the lawyer Jay Sekalow - this is his vocation. Helping Christianity to come back into our schools.

Answer 3

Go to the school board and pitch your own stink about freedom of religion. Say you feel the Muslims have the same rights your Christian child does. Stopping all groups doesn't solve anything. Get the parents together and threaten to sue. Obviously you all agree on one thing: The Constitution.

Go to the principal yourself first. Find out what the reason was for asking all the kids to stop, and remind him of the laws allowing the freedom to practice religion on school grounds. If he still won't listen, tell him you will be gathering parents and filing a complaint, and a lawsuit.

Answer 4

I thought you said that the Muslims were outside in an out of the way place, and the Xtians were at the lunch table? Then the ruling was right. How would they all like it if I complained each day that the school lunch wasnt kosher, or said the Shecheyanu everyday in homeroom so everyone could hear it? And maybe I would wear my kippah and tallit as well? Then wonderwoman, Judaism should be brought into the schools too, because I have no interest in hearing about Jesus and having a bunch of morons telling me that evolution is a myth.

Answer 5

Litigate.

Look, I'm a rather rabid atheist but the Constitution is clear -- the students may pray any time they like, anyplace they like, so long as:

1. There is not a government employee leading (teacher, administrator, public servant, etc).
2. They do not disrupt the learning environment (classroom)
3. They do not miss required class time (truancy, absenteeism, etc).

If this violation of your child's constitutional rights continues, contact the ACLU. I spoke with one of the members of my state's ACLU chapter and they indicated that the ACLU would probably take a case like this if they had the money for it.

Answer 6

The rules are that the school shall not lead prayer at gatherings like graduation or whatever. If students want to pray and it doesn't interfere with anybody, they are (or should be) allowed to do so.

Look into the rules of your state, call the dept of education throught the governor's office and ask them what the state rules are or if there are local rules as well.

Answer 7

Schools should be on neutral ground with religion, unless it's a private school. If a student wants to pray, they should be allowed to pray. The school shouldn't make them pray and shouldn't prevent them from praying.

Answer 8

I can't say anything helpful. We face these situations any time the law gets involved in matters of faith. --The answers always seem to gravitate toward an inflexible, "if you ban one, you must ban all."

I'd like to see every school have a prayer room or prayer section, like smoking and nonsmoking, where all faiths can pray unharrassed at lunch or during a devotional period. --Say, if a student wants to skip study hall and go to the prayer room, he or she could. Think that'll ever happen?

Answer 9

They have to stop. School policy. It is the religious that cause these problems, not the school. You don't have churches, chapels, homes to pray in? There's not enough time to do your praying? You're too busy with what to pray elsewhere?

No, you're praying in school to cause trouble, stubbornly trying to make some kind of point.

What did Jesus say about praying in public? He was walking along with his people and saw some people with their prayer rugs in the street, and he said, "Be not as the publicans, who spread their rugs upon the ground, but rather, when you pray, go into your closet, and pray secretly....." The words of Jesus Christ Himself. Don't give any "out of context" b.s., either.

You people just want to make a public spectacle of yourselves. And you seem to think that going to church, and dragging church out into public spaces makes you big ol' Christians. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian anymore than sitting in a garage makes you a car........

Answer 10

I see no problem with a child praying to himself or a group outside, even though I think prayer is the dumbest thing believers do, but my question is - why all this prayer anyway?? You can't wait a few hours to get home? Is this god so insecure he needs all this constant attention??

Give it a break